The Cynical Use of Israel in Italian Politics
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been far from a marginal issue in Italian politics. A few decades ago the Italian Left started to use the conflict as a strategic instrument to build domestic political alliances. The Communist Party, which in the 1990s reconstructed itself as the Democrats of the Left (DS) with which most former communists affiliate, used its criticism of Israel for bridge building with the Christian Democrats. These were Italy’s largest parties up to the early 1990s.
Why Israel Must Now Move from Concessions-Based Diplomacy to Rights-Based Diplomacy
Once Israel dropped its past reliance on a diplomacy based on its own rights and adopted a new concession-based diplomacy instead, its spokesmen essentially acquiesced to the Palestinian historical narrative.
Advice for Mr. Blair: Stop Patronizing the Palestinians
In taking the position of “international peace envoy” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mr. Blair will need to change the basic political parameters in order to avoid another catastrophic failure. Most importantly, this will require abandoning the widely held images of Palestinian victimization and demonization of Israel.
The Risks to Regional Security from International Forces in Gaza
With the total collapse of Fatah in Gaza and the territory’s takeover by Hamas, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been giving serious consideration to the deployment of international forces in the Gaza Strip generally, and more specifically in the sensitive Philadelphi Corridor separating Gaza from Egyptian Sinai. A deeper look reveals that the international-forces idea is very dangerous with potentially grave results for Israel.
Maintaining a Thriving Economy in the Shadow of Terror
Despite terror and war, the Israeli economy has one of the highest per capita growth rates in the Western world among all the states established between 1948 and 1974. If there had been no terror in 2000-2005, the economy would have continued to grow and would have almost reached where it is today as early as 2003.
The Future of Reform Jewry
In a general social context marked by intermarriage and cultural homogeneity among Jews, the Reform movement in the United States is growing rapidly, with almost nine hundred congregations having over 1.5 million members. In 2006, about fifty thousand new members joined Reform congregations. When American Jews under the age of forty affiliate, a large plurality join the Reform movement.
The Erosion of Al-Qaeda’s Power in Saudi Arabia
Following major terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda against housing compounds inhabited by foreign and Arab oil experts in 2003, the Saudi regime launched a major onslaught against the al-Qaeda-led Saudi fundamentalists. Gradually the regime succeeded in eroding the ranks of the Afghanistan war veterans who comprised the operational leadership of the organization.
The Principles of Peacemaking
The Plight of the Refugees and Resolution 242
The Territorial Clauses of Security Council Resolution 242
Security Council Resolution 242: An Analysis of its Main Provisions
Contextualizing Resolution 242
Introduction: Correcting the Record on Resolution 242
Israel’s Right to Secure Boundaries: Four Decades Since
UN Security Resolution 242: Preface
Israel’s Right to Secure Boundaries: Four Decades Since UN Security Resolution 242
Looking at Israel’s right to secure borders 40 years after UN resolution 242.
