Monthly Archives: March 2011

Day Jobs for Terrorists

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

05/12/2007 For Israelis the United Nations is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they are fully aware of the anti-Israel sentiment that the United Nations perpetuates, but on the other hand they want to be part of it and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Guns before Butter

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

The Guardian- 21/06/2006 In the last few days, the Quartet have finalized the details for the new emergency aid mechanism to the Palestinian territories. According to its remit, the mechanism is to provide “needs-based assistance directly to the Palestinian people, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Osirak Revisited

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

11/11/2007 The possible emergence of a nuclear-armed, Islamist Iran committed to the destruction of the Jewish state is the key security issue currently occupying the attention of Israel’s political and security elite. It is one of the few issues upon … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Root Cause of Confrontation

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

07/07/2006 The kidnapping of two IDF soldiers by Hizballah on the Israel-Lebanese border adds fuel to the flames of the already fraught situation between Israel and the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority in Gaza. The talk in Israel is now of wide-ranging … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Democratic Converts in Borrowed Array

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Haaretz-11/03/2005 Euphoria is back. Democracy, it appears, is about to experience a late birth in our region. The Berlin Wall of the Arabs has fallen, and all will shortly be transformed. But the new and emerging political language in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Israel Needs a Fence

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Montreal Gazette- 24/02/2004 Israel’s security fence has become the latest focus for criticism of the country by a wide range of international bodies and personalities. Israelis have been warned against losing faith in reconciliation. They have been advised to build … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The biggest Shoes to Fill

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

The Guardian- 06/01/2006 If the massive cerebral hemorrhage suffered by Ariel Sharon marks the end of this remarkable man’s political career then Israeli public life is about to lose the figure who above all others reshaped Israeli politics and diplomacy … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Disengagement of Disenchantment

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Haaretz-07/01/2005 The political direction of which Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan forms a part is the most significant development in Israeli policy making since 1967. It is an attempt to finally free the Israeli political discussion from the squabble between rival … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Missed Opportunities

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

The Forward- 07/05/2004 There is a growing corpus of Israeli responses to the collapse of the peace process of the 1990s, and the eclipse of the expectations of imminent historic compromise between Israelis and Palestinians that it brought in its … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strange Bedfellows

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Haaretz-04/11/2005 Four months have passed since the terror attacks in London. It is now possible to begin to discern the contours of the British response, and the new forces which are assembling against one another in the political debate. Notable … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment