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.

7/7: In Memory of Anat Rosenberg

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 07/07/2006 Writing about a dead friend is not easy. It is made doubly hard when that friend was murdered, in political circumstances. One wants to pay tribute to a face, a smile, remembered words. And one is conscious of … Continue reading →

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This War’s real Masters

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 14/07/2006 The kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbullah on the Israel-Lebanon border and the killing of eight others was an unprovoked act of war. Israel is now involved in a two-front confrontation with well-armed Islamist organisations that have … Continue reading →

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Forget what you think you knew about Israel

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 29/03/2006 Welcome to the new Israeli politics. You will need to forget a large amount of what you thought you knew about Israel. The clash between Gush Emunim and Peace Now, between Labour and Likud, between the Whole Land … Continue reading →

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Surface squabbles, underlying Unity

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 11/02/2009 With the final count nearly complete, it is now possible to draw some tentative conclusions regarding the 2009 Israeli elections. The coalition arithmetic remains painfully complex. It is impossible presently to predict with certainty what type of government … Continue reading →

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A Political Earthquake

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 02/05/2007 We knew that the Winograd report, investigating the failures during last summer’s war with Hizbullah, would be critical of Israel’s political and military leadership. But no one here in Israel expected a political earthquake of this magnitude. In … Continue reading →

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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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