Iran Sees New Opportunity for Regional Domination Despite Turkish Competition
In the Iranian lexicon, one does not encounter the concept of the “Arab Spring.” Instead, Iran has coined the term “Islamic awakening.” In contrast to the perceived economic enfeeblement of the Western economies headed by the U.S., which constitute the bases of support for the “Zionist regime,” Iran offers a substitute view of a new world order and an alternative, defiant Islamic agenda.
What Do the Arabs of East Jerusalem Really Want?
According to surveys, more Palestinians in east Jerusalem would prefer to become citizens of Israel rather than citizens of a new Palestinian state.
A Blast from the Past: The Upcoming Durban III Conference (September 2011)
A further attempt to re-legitimize the 2001 Durban Conference against Racism, which became an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hate-fest, will take the form of a ten-year anniversary commemoration of the conference at the UN in New York on 22 September 2011. This event will coincide with the Palestinian attempt to have the UN recognize and accept a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, in violation of the peace negotiation process. This juncture of events confirms the interconnection between the Durban process and the ongoing international campaign to delegitimize Israel.
The Syrian Uprising: Implications for Israel
In Syria, the story is the emergence of social groups from the periphery and their struggle to gain access to power and take over the center. The emergence of the Baath party and the Assad dynasty in the 1960s involved a coalition of peripheral forces led by the Alawites, but many others joined who came from the periphery. Now, because of socioeconomic reasons, the periphery has turned against the regime.
A Strategy for Israel in the Changed Middle East
Vol. 11, No. 11 August 2, 2011 A Strategy for Israel in the Changed Middle East The options for Israel and the Palestinians basically can be boiled down to these: a permanent agreement, an interim agreement, a de facto interim agreement, and a situation of no agreement. The best possible option – a permanent […]
Hizbullah’s Predicament in Light of Syria’s Decline
Five years after the Second Lebanon War, a war whose results Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah considers a “divine victory,” Hizbullah has currently reached one of its lowest points due to the endangered survival of the Assad regime in Syria, as well as the international tribunal that has demanded the extradition of four Hizbullah members suspected of murdering former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
How Iran Is Helping Assad Suppress Syria’s “Arab Spring”
Since the beginning of the protest wave against Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, Iran has backed Damascus and assisted it in both the security and propaganda aspects of its violent repression of the protests. Tehran charges that Syria is the victim of an attempt by the West, led by the United States, to overthrow the Assad regime, under cover of the “Arab Spring.”
The New Flare-Up between Israel and Lebanon Over Gas
The potential oil and gas fields off the Lebanese and Israeli coasts look set to become a source of conflict in the years ahead. Behind the tensions is the fact that the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon has never been delineated because the two states are still formally at war.
What Are the Palestinians Planning after September?
What the Palestinians really envisage after September is to exploit a UN endorsement of statehood to legitimize an escalation of the conflict. After having the 1967 lines recognized so as to negate the results of the Six-Day War, they plan to seek recognition of the 1947 partition lines.
Who Is Behind the Second Gaza Flotilla?
The second flotilla is coordinated by Muhammad Sawalha, a senior Muslim Brotherhood figure connected to Hamas. Many of the participating organizations can be directly linked with the Union of Good (UoG), a coalition of European charities affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which in 2008 was designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury, for transferring funds to Hamas.
How Arab Media View a Declaration of Palestinian Statehood
Unlike the vibrant debate in Israel over the Palestinian plan to seek support for statehood in September at the UN, the Arab media is occupied with the wave of changes sweeping Arab countries, leaving little room for discussion of the projected Palestinian plan.
Power Dynamics Inside Hamas: The Increasing Weight of the Gaza Leadership
The recent overt confrontation between Mahmoud al-Zahar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Gaza, and Damascus-based Hamas political bureau leader Khaled Mashaal reflects underground currents feeding the tension within the Hamas leadership in Gaza and Syria.
The Gaza Flotillas to Come: Some Ground Rules before Setting Out
There is no humanitarian emergency among the civilian population in Gaza, and hence there can be no justification for conveying emergency shipments intended to alleviate an emergency that clearly does not exist. Provoking a confrontation with Israel continues to be the primary aim of flotilla organizers like the Turkish IHH.
Why Iran Is Pushing for a Shiite Victory in Bahrain
Vol. 11, No. 2 June 2, 2011 Bahrain is the locus of a titanic struggle between regional powers representing polar extremes of Islam (Shiite Iran vs. Sunni Saudi Arabia), and international powers’ economic and geo-strategic interests. Washington has been regarded as Bahrain’s main ally. The command of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, operating in the Persian Gulf […]
A UN Resolution to Recognize a Palestinian State within the “1967 Borders” Would Be Illegal
The following is a letter drafted jointly by lawyers of the Legal Forum for Israel and by Amb. Alan Baker, Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
