Armistice in Jerusalem Once Again?
Since the 1967 Six-Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem, new Israeli neighborhoods have grown as satellite towns all around the core of the city beyond the old demarcation line. Mount Scopus, now connected to the city by a major network of highways, has been rebuilt into a mammoth fortress-campus which accommodates Hebrew University and the Hadassah Hospital. New roads and highways crisscross the city, linking its new neighborhoods.
The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Environment
In the Western world, there is growing interest in the attitude of organized religion toward the environment.
Yasser Arafat, Christmas, and the PFLP
Just one day before Yasser Arafat hoped to attend Bethlehem’s Christmas-eve celebrations, Israel arrested an operative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Haifa, who was planning a terrorist attack in the heart of the city. The two events were not unlinked, for the Israeli government had conditioned Arafat’s participation in the Midnight Mass at Bethlehem’s St. Catherine’s Church upon his arrest of the PFLP leadership in Ramallah who were responsible for the murder last October of Gen. Rehavam Ze’evi, the Minister of Tourism of Israel.
Maintaining Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge: Dilemmas for the Bush Administration
Three times in recent decades the United States has approached Arab countries to join broad coalitions in support of military objectives: ousting the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in the 1980s, ousting Iraq from Kuwait in 1991, and the current war on terrorism. In each case, efforts to garner Arab support created tensions with the U.S. commitment to maintain Israel’s “qualitative military edge” against all potential adversaries. Proposed sales in 2001 of AGM-84 Harpoon “Block II” missiles and MLRS rocket systems to Egypt indicate that once again there is a danger that a fundamental strategic principle may be sacrificed for ephemeral diplomatic gains.
Terrorism and Racism: The Aftermath of Durban
Confronting bin Laden’s rallying cry of "good" and "bad" terrorism lies at the heart of any battle to defeat terrorism. This now entails the courage to address directly the terrorists’ and their state sponsors’ rhetorical weapon of choice, the accusation of racism. In fact, their claim inverts the very heart of a civil libertarian agenda, since it is closely associated with a deep-rooted antisemitism.
How Arafat’s Palestinian Authority Became an “Entity Supporting Terrorism”
Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority devolved into an entity supporting terrorism through its collusion with Hamas and other militant groups.
Rediscovering Deterrence after September 11, 2001
As the military and political leaders of the Roman Empire understood, in a hostile and anarchic world, in order to preserve the peace, it is often necessary to prepare for war (Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum). The promise of unacceptable consequences and retaliation following an attack may not be politically correct, but in the face of deep-seated hatred and hostility, there is often no realistic alternative.
Powell’s Middle East Speech: A Scorecard
Secretary of State Colin Powell’s much-anticipated unveiling of America’s vision for the Middle East (University of Louisville, Nov. 19) nudged U.S. policy in a positive direction in certain respects, but is unlikely to meet the expectations which preceded it.
Beyond Political Terrorism: The New Challenge of Transcendend Terror
As the smoke clears in New York and Kabul, one blind spot still blocks the Western lens in the war against terror. There remains no official definition of "terrorism." The need for such a definition was affirmed by representatives of over 150 countries at a UN conference held in October 2001 on "What is Terrorism?"
Why Syria is Becoming the Coalition’s Spoiler
Ironically, the post-September 11 international environment has not reduced Syria’s traditional support of international terrorism, but rather led Damascus to follow a dangerously escalatory policy.
What Can Israel Do in the Global Disorder?
In Israel, ongoing contingency planning in the military, political, economic, and information fields is particularly essential now, especially in light of the structural global changes that may occur after the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Such evaluations are done elsewhere for other reasons, such as by stock market analysts, and for those who draw accurate operating conclusions the rewards are very significant.
“The War of the Torah”: The Israeli Religious Peace Movements’ Struggle for Legitimation
Since the Six-Day War, religious Zionism has been increasing ly identified with the ideology of the Complete Land of Israel (Er etz Yisrael Hashlema). The maximalist stance on the territorial issue has become depoliticized and achieved a taken-for-granted status. The religious peace movements have interpreted privileged texts and politicized the annual cycle of festivals in an
attempt to break this ideological hegemony and to show that their more dovish stance is also grounded in an authentic reading of Jewish tradition. However, they have failed to create the cultural resonance that is an essential prerequisite for success.
The War of the Torah: The Israeli Religious Peace Movements’ Struggle for Legitimation
Jewish Political Studies Review 13:3-4 (Fall 2001) Since the Six-Day War, religious Zionism has been increasingly identified with the ideology of the Complete Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael Hashlema). The maximalist stance on the territorial issue has become depoliticized and achieved a taken-for-granted status. The religious peace movements have interpreted privileged texts and politicized […]
What is Known about Iraq’s Biological Weapons Program — Could it be the Source of America’s Anthrax Attack?
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer stated on October 26 that the anthrax sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle was not necessarily manufactured by a foreign government. Yet, Fleischer did not rule out foreign involvement either. One Middle Eastern state with vast proven experience in biological warfare is Iraq, which actually tested biological agents on Iranian prisoners in the 1980s.
Israeli Operations in Area A: The State Department vs. the Oslo Accords
The October 22 request by the U.S. State Department spokesman that Israel “immediately” withdraw from and not return to Palestinian-controlled areas (Area A) implies that such actions are in violation of the Oslo Accords, that they hamper the prospects for a return to negotiations, and that they threaten the wider American war on terrorism. None of these implications are correct. The statement stands in marked contrast to the past understanding shown by President Bush that placed the burden of cease-fire implementation on Palestinian Authority head Yasser Arafat.
