Monthly Archives: March 2011

Review: Conflict transforms both Israel and Foes

Posted on March 28, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Review: The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict, by Jonathan Spyer. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2011. ISBN 978-1-4411-6663-0. By Vic Rosenthal I read a lot of books and articles about the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict, but … Continue reading →

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Fortress Gaza

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 02/07/2008 Since the agreement on the tahadiyeh (lull) was reached between Hamas and Israel on June 19, the border crossings between Israel and Gaza have already been closed six times in response to Palestinian rocket fire. Israeli officials … Continue reading →

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The End of Lebanese factional Fighting?

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 25/06/2008 A month ago, a deal was signed between the Lebanese government and opposition in the Qatari capital of Doha. The deal ended two weeks of fighting that saw the Shi’ite Hizbullah and its allies occupying West Beirut. … Continue reading →

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Hizbullah won’t stop at Shaba

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post-18/06/2008 Israel’s announcement of a willingness for peace talks with Lebanon is one of the early fruits of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s recent visit to the region and her unexpected visit to Lebanon. French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s … Continue reading →

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Salafism – the worrying Process of self-Radicalization

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 24/07/2008 Over the last two months, Israeli security forces have arrested six young Arab men suspected of seeking to form an extreme Islamist cell for the purpose of carrying out high-profile terror attacks in the capital. Two of … Continue reading →

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We’ll take the Dowry – You keep the Bride

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 31/07/2008 A fourth round of indirect talks between Syrian and Israeli representatives was concluded in Istanbul this week and as the Turkish mediators kept themselves in shape conveying messages between the hotel rooms of the two countries’ delegations, … Continue reading →

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Assad’s Shopping List

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 20/08/2008 President Bashar Assad of Syria began a trip to Russia this week. Russian news agency RIA Novosti has quoted the Syrian Information Ministry as confirming that the trip will last two days. According to the statement, the … Continue reading →

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7 years after 9/11, al-Qaida is in Disarray

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 11/09/2008 # Seven years after September 11, 2001, al-Qaida as an organization is seen by many analysts to be in some disarray. One prominent observer of the network depicts it as having been reduced to a core of … Continue reading →

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The Gardeners of Beirut

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

23/10/2008 An anecdote recently told me by a senior source in the Arab media indicates the process by which Hizbullah is rebuilding its strength south of the Litani River. The source, who is well connected in Lebanon, related the story … Continue reading →

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US Raid shows Assad’s over-Estimation

Posted on March 27, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 29/10/2008 This week’s US raid across the Iraqi-Syrian border resembles a number of similar actions carried out by American forces against al-Qaida targets over the last year in the North Waziristan area of Pakistan. It demonstrates a US … Continue reading →

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