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.

Increasingly, Hamas is gaining Acceptance in the Arab World

Posted on March 9, 2011 by jonathanspyer

09/09/2008 A series of recent developments point to Hamas’s increasingly solid position in the Palestinian and broader Arab political constellations. This process is of significance both for Arab politics itself, and for the likely direction of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in … Continue reading →

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No Change

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

01/02/2008 The response of Israeli officials to the latest events in Gaza may in essence be divided into two halves. The initial response was one of frustration at Egyptian unwillingness to restore order on the international border. The subsequent sense … Continue reading →

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Syrian Games Without Frontiers

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

16/01/2008 The ongoing impasse over the appointment of the next Lebanese president, after Emil Lahoud stepped down on November 24, is the product of Syrian machinations and interference in Lebanese politics. The agreement reached on Sunday in Cairo may finally … Continue reading →

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The Dynamics of Revival

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Haaretz-24/08/2007 In a recent article in the British Guardian newspaper, Ed Husain, a former member of the radical Islamist Hizb ut Tahrir organization [which aims to bring about a worldwide Muslim state], sought to draw a parallel between Zionism and … Continue reading →

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An Empty Package

Posted on March 8, 2011 by jonathanspyer

30/05/2008 At this past Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert issued a public statement relating to the revived negotiations with Syria. The talks, the prime minister wished to assure us, were “serious” and would be conducted with “all due … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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