Monthly Archives: March 2011

Assad prepares for a long battle

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 31/3/11 President Bashar al-Assad’s speech to the Syrian parliament was noteworthy more for what the Syrian dictator did not say than for what he did. Remarks by Assad aides to the media in the last days had raised … Continue reading →

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Israel’s only Option

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 03/03/2008 The situation of residents of southern Israel in the days and months preceding Israel’s current action in Gaza was clearly intolerable. The Israeli communities of the north-western region of Negev had been absorbing rocket and mortar attacks from … Continue reading →

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Israel and Iran: on a collision Course

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 11/07/2008 Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, this week called the Iranian nuclear issue “a challenge not just for Israel but for the entire world”. He added that “Israel is the strongest country in the region and we have … Continue reading →

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Tzipi Livni and the new Middle East

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 23/09/2008 Newly elected Kadima leader Tzipi Livni is the third person to lead this party in its less than three years of existence. In terms of presentation, she represents a significant change in Israeli politics. In terms of her … Continue reading →

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Sound of a Dictator preparing for a long Battle

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 31/03/2011 President Bashar al-Assad’s speech to the Syrian parliament was noteworthy more for what the Syrian dictator did not say than for what he did. Remarks by Assad aides to the media in the last days had raised … Continue reading →

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Lebanon – a Return to Civil War?

Posted on March 29, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 02/02/2008 The recent killing of Captain Wissam Eid of the Lebanese Internal Security Force, and the shooting deaths of eight Shi’ite rioters – including four Hizbullah supporters – at the Mar Mikhael intersection in southern Beirut last week … Continue reading →

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Why might Syria wish to sow Chaos in Lebanon Now?

Posted on March 29, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 20/05/2007 Thirty eight people lost their lives on Sunday in fierce fighting between the Lebanese military and Sunni jihadist operatives near the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, close to the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. This outbreak of … Continue reading →

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Nasrallah’s Existential Dilemmas

Posted on March 29, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 25/02/2008 In a speech last week broadcast at the Sayed al-Shohada Mosque in south Beirut, Hizbullah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah promised his supporters that Israel’s ‘disappearance’ was an ‘established fact.’ The Hizbullah leader railed from his unknown hiding … Continue reading →

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A Question of Power

Posted on March 29, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 10/05/2008 The recent events in Beirut pose a simple, fundamental question: Who rules in Lebanon? The answer proposed by Hizbullah last week is that the government of Fuad Saniora and Saad Hariri is to be permitted to hold … Continue reading →

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How UNRWA became a Barrier to Peace

Posted on March 29, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 27/05/2008 The United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) was created under the jurisdiction of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with the unique responsibility of solely aiding the Palestinians. Due to this special status, the UNRWA perpetuates, … Continue reading →

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