Pressures Build Inside Fatah Ahead of Palestinian State Declaration
The Palestinian people and the Fatah membership recognize Abbas’ importance and international standing, thanks to which he enjoys support and accessibility, without which their situation would be infinitely more difficult. Yet many people in the movement and in Palestinian society do not identify with him as a leader and hence do not support his leadership.
Is Iran a Role Model for Arab Revolutions?
From Iran’s point of view, recent developments, especially in Egypt (long considered in the West as an anchor of stability and the initiator of a peace treaty with Israel), represent an improvement in Iran’s strategic status.
Can Cold War Deterrence Apply to a Nuclear Iran?
The policy documents published over the last year by the Obama administration indicate that it believes in the efficacy of traditional Cold War deterrence as the remedy to the challenge of rogue states acquiring nuclear weapons.
The International Context of the U.S. Veto at the UN Security Council
Israel needs to prepare for the possibility that the UN Security Council will be asked to decide on the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines.
The Paradox of the Italian Jewish Experience in 1990-2010
There is a paradox to the Italian Jewish experience in the 2000s. Jews are more integrated than ever since 1945, and Israel has been relegitimized in important quarters after being in practice delegitimized by the Communists, Socialists, and those media close to the Christian Democrats in the late 1970s and 1980s, reaching the lowest point in the second half of 1982. Yet, because of various factors including the web as well as unwillingness to take things in stride any longer, the organized and
The Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Under Field Marshal Tantawi: A Recipe for Revolution or More of the Same?
Egypt is ruled today by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, under the leadership of Field Marshal Muhammad Hussein Tantawi. The country is now ruled under military law, something which the masses did not expect and which does not fit in with the idea of democratic reform. At 76, Tantawi is no revolutionary. He and his colleagues have a lot to lose if they accede to actual demands for change.
Iran: Preconditions and Provocations
Last month’s talks in Turkey offered Iran an opportunity to show how the center of power has shifted from Western dominance to Islamic hegemony under Tehran’s leadership. Iran’s behavior once again demonstrated the limits of dialogue and engagement with the regime. In their current scope, international economic sanctions may damage the Iranian economy and impede the nuclear program’s pace, but they do not suffice to restrain the Iranian leadership from attaining a nuclear bomb.
Saudi Arabia Contends with the Social Media Challenge
Internet surveillance in Saudi Arabia is quite widespread. Many of those involved in filtering are Saudi “U.S.-educated techies” who understand the idea of Internet freedom but don’t think it applies to Saudi Arabia.
On January 1, the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information announced a new regulation requiring all Internet publishing sites to register and get a license.
The Challenges Facing British Jewry
The challenges facing British Jewry now are little different from those that have faced Diaspora Jewry generally over the past one hundred years or more, namely, the twin problems of assimilation and anti-Semitism. The interesting questions today are whether the nature and context of these challenges are different at present, in the second decade of the twenty-first century, and how effective the community’s response to these challenges is likely to be.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: In Their Own Words
The Muslim Brotherhood participates in the democratic process not because it has accepted the principles of Western democracy, but rather because the democratic process can be exploited to establish an Islamic regime which will then render democracy unnecessary.
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian Crisis
Initially, the Muslim Brotherhood was very low-key during the crisis in Egypt. Yet since January 28, its involvement has become more prominent with its support of Mohamed ElBaradei to lead the opposition forces against the government. In the streets of Cairo, Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators disdainfully call people like ElBaradei “donkeys of the revolution” – to be used and then pushed away – exploiting ElBaradei in order to hijack the Egyptian revolution.
The Palestine Papers: Al-Jazeera Has an Agenda
For years al-Jazeera has sought to advance the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood against the Arab regimes.
The PA success in gathering support for statehood recognition was turning Hamas rule in Gaza into a liability.
Now, after al-Jazeera has brainwashed Arab minds with charges of PLO treason, no declaration of statehood can be expected.
Iran Changes the Balance of Power in Lebanon
Iran no longer hesitates to state publicly that its forward defense line now passes through “Lebanon and Palestine.” In practice, the Lebanese-Israeli border is in fact Israel’s border with Iran. Hizbullah is nourished by the growing strength and power of Iran and draws upon its successes. Both parties recognize that the fall of one also signifies the demise of the other.
Where Is Tunisia Heading?
Iran has maintained a presence in the Tunisian arena for years. In 1987, documents found in the possession of an official of the Iranian Embassy arrested in Europe testified to the ties that Iran maintains with Tunisian fundamentalists. That same year, a Tunisian named Lutfi, who had been recruited by Iran and underwent training there prior to joining a local network in Tunisia, unveiled to French police precise information regarding Iran’s subversive activity in Tunisia.
American Muslims: The Community and Their Relations with Jews
Muslims in the United States number slightly under three million according to the most accurate population studies.They are among the wealthiest, most educated, and most ethnically diverse Muslim communities in the world.Their integration into the United States is remarkably different than in European countries, most notably in the near-absence of Muslim ghettos or enclaves common across the Atlantic. Three well-organized and well-funded political and civil rights organizations form the core Muslim advocacy.They work within the American political process to advance Muslim interests, but frequently present their community as victims of widespread “Islamophobia.”Leaders in all three have drawn controversy for support of extremist groups, and are overall hostile to Israel.
