Tag: Israel

U.N.’s Human Rights Council Shames Itself Further, If That’s Possible

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The U.N. General Assembly’s selection this week of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Vietnam, and Algeria to its Human Rights Council further tarnishes the U.N.’s reputation and reinforces the Council’s status as a laughingstock on human rights. Moving forward, the Council surely will follow its well-worn path – ignoring the brutal human rights violations of …

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Strong US ties to Israel are the key to a lasting peace in Palestine

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Peace – true peace – is more than the absence of war, more than a temporary respite from continual conflict. True peace rests on trust between parties, and it’s rooted in on-the-ground conditions that ensure its viability. That’s true whether one side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in this case Israel, has deep-seated ties to the …

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U.S., Iran have to sell a deal, not just reach one

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The casual observer of recent Middle East activities might as easily conclude that Washington and Tehran are gearing for war, rather than – perhaps – angling for an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program. The United States will participate in a two-week, Israeli-led military exercise this month with more than 100 aircraft and about 1,000 pilots …

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Alaa Al Aswany: The Grey Lady’s Troubling New Columnist

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The New York Times didn’t know or didn’t care that one of its new high-profile “contributing opinion writers” has long displayed a relentless hostility to Israel and posited startling conspiracy theories about “Zionist” power. The revelations about the best-selling Egyptian novelist and activist Alaa Al Aswany, as highlighted in news reports of recent days, raise …

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America’s allies are drifting thanks to Obama

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The startlingly open breach of recent days between the United States and its once-solid allies in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Middle East reflects region-wide concerns not only about President Obama’s current policy path but, more broadly, about what they regard as his sinking credibility and rising naivety. The breach is rooted less …

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Rouhani’s Charm Offensive Already Paying Off For Tehran

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s charm offensive has already changed the global dynamics over Iran’s nuclear pursuit to Tehran’s advantage, with the West easing its pressure and Israel now positioned as a stubborn outlier. Also to Tehran’s benefit, Rouhani’s efforts have opened a clearer fissure between Washington and Jerusalem. Not only is U.S. President Barack Obama …

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European Union Clearly Confused About Middle East

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Ever wonder about the European Union, a sometimes unwieldy body of 28 nations, each of which sacrifices some measure of its national sovereignty in order to help make continent-wide policy? The EU certainly can leave heads a-shaking, as it did recently in announcing two major policies related to the Middle East that, together, showcase its …

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