Author Archives: jonathanspyer

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About jonathanspyer

Jonathan Spyer is a Middle East analyst, author and journalist specializing in the areas of Israel, Syria and broader issues of regional strategy. He is the director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and analysis (MECRA), a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for strategy and Security (JISS) and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

The Forgotten Minority

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 09/07/2010 On March 21, 2010, the Syrian security forces opened fire with live ammunition on a crowd of 5,000 in the northern Syrian town of al-Raqqah. The crowd had gathered to celebrate the Kurdish festival of Nowruz. Three … Continue reading →

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Hamas Fans Flames of Islamic Anger Following “Day of Rage”

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 19/03/2010 Hamas leaders are seeking to escalate Palestinian unrest over the supposed Israeli threat to Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. In addition to reflecting the movement’s ideological goals, this effort makes good political sense. Hamas seeks to supplant … Continue reading →

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Behind the Axis: The North Korean Connection

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 29/05/2010 North Korean spokesmen reacted furiously last week to claims by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman that Pyongyang is supplying weapons technology to Iran and Syria. Representatives of the regime of Kim Jong-Il described Lieberman as an “imbecile.” The … Continue reading →

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Who Killed Khaled Sultan al-Abed?

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 14/06/2010 Once viewed as perhaps the most locked-down and policed city in the Middle East, the Syrian capital of Damascus has been the scene of a number of bombings and assassinations in the last few years. Most famously, … Continue reading →

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Losing the Scent in South Lebanon

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center -20/07/2010 Last week, the IDF released evidence of Hizbullah stockpiling of weaponry in populated civilian areas of southern Lebanon. The IDF material showed an aerial map of the Shi’ite town of El Khiam. The map showed details of … Continue reading →

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Al-Qaida-Style Islamism Comes to Gaza

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 19/08/2009 Quiet has now returned to the Gaza Strip after the weekend violence which claimed the lives of 28 people. The last of the funerals of the Jund Ansar Allah fighters killed in the suppression of the organization … Continue reading →

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Growing Islamization in Gaza

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 29/09/2009 Deriving accurate and reliable information from within the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is not easy. The Strip is largely closed to journalists, and its inhabitants are reluctant to speak in detail of events there. Nevertheless, reliable sources confirm … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Two Palestinian Authorities

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 24/04/2010 Four years after the Hamas victory in elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council, and three years since the movement’s successful coup in Gaza, the split in the Palestinian national movement has an increasing look of permanence about … Continue reading →

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An Increasing Possibility

Posted on April 4, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center-09/11/2009 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 … Continue reading →

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Arab Summit, Iranian Agenda

Posted on April 4, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 05/04/2009 The issues that dominated the 21st Arab League summit in Doha, Qatar, this week testified to the weakness and disunity of the Arab states. Sunni Arabs are the majority population group in the Middle East. Yet the … Continue reading →

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