Category Archives: Uncategorized

No new beginnings in sight for ravaged Syria. Jerusalem Post (8/3) The Islamic State proclaimed by the Iraqi jihadist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul on June 29, 2014, is about to cease to exist. At the … Continue reading →

Iran’s Strategy for Control of Syria Jerusalem Post, 1/2 Recent statements by a number of Israeli officials have claimed a degree of success in Israel’s efforts to contain and rollback Iran’s entrenchment in Syria.  But while Israel’s tactical successes are … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 11/1 Significant obstacles remain before a Turkish push south The announcement by US President Donald Trump on December 19 of his intention to rapidly withdraw US forces from eastern Syria led to expectations of a rapid move by … Continue reading →

28/12 if I think back to the days of my aliyah and the year or two that preceded it -the period 1989-91, Amos Oz was one of the writers who was most present and influential in my mind. His prose, … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 21/12 The apparent decision by US President Donald Trump to order the complete withdrawal of US forces from Syria was preceded by a looming crisis between the US and Turkey. It is worth looking at this crisis in … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 30/11 Syrian Regime closes accounts with west- and Israel-linked rebels, as Iran builds and expands its presence in the area   Evidence emerging from south west Syria indicates that the Assad regime has begun to ‘close accounts’ with … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 2/11 The jihadi organization is currently stirring in outlying areas of Iraq and Syria Islamic State fighters operating in the Lower Euphrates river valley this week killed 68 fighters of the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces.  Under cover of … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 9/10 Teheran prefers to strike directly only at weak and peripheral enemies, while acting against stronger ones through proxies. Is this distinction sustainable? The effort by the US and its allies to contain and ultimately roll back the … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 27/10 Turkey and Qatar seek to turn the death of Jamal Khashoggi to political advantage   The killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi represents a golden opportunity for all those forces opposed to the current direction of … Continue reading →

29/9 In Raqqa, they were exhuming  a mass grave as we drove into the city.  It was by the municipality, in the center of the town.  A great gaping pit.  A group of men in blue municipality uniforms at work … Continue reading →