Where is everybody when Israel isn’t involved?
April 15, 2024 | Oved Lobel
Where are the protestors and politicians of principle? All of these situations require mass protests and much more attention in the media and in parliament. Instead, there is a general state of Israelomania paralysing and monopolising both government and media attention. There are lamentably few who are just as active against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or the barbarity in Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti and elsewhere, as they are against Israel. Whatever is driving this uniquely powerful passion and animosity, it certainly isn’t primarily humanitarian concern.
The tragic history of Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital
April 10, 2024 | Oved Lobel
That is the sad story of al-Shifa Hospital. What began as an Israeli endeavour to improve the lives of Palestinians by building a state-of-the-art hospital complex in Gaza in the 1980s and 1990s was ended by a coalition of genocidal terrorist organisations that could not care less about Palestinian well-being.
What recent ISKP attacks reveal about US, Russian and Iranian intelligence agencies
March 27, 2024 | Oved Lobel
This is also a demonstration of the very different roles intelligence agencies play in Western countries as opposed to despotisms. In the former, the agencies exist in part to protect citizens from threats, while in the latter, they exist to protect the regime and to monitor, oppress, intimidate, kidnap or kill their own citizens domestically and abroad. Because of this remit and resource allocation, countries like Iran or Russia are not particularly capable of, or even very interested in, thwarting such attacks.
Contrary to news stories, aid is getting to north Gazans without UNRWA’s help
March 26, 2024 | Ahron Shapiro
In addition to misleading headlines, most failed to provide important context that the IDF has been coordinating large amounts of aid through other channels, rendering UNRWA’s non-participation irrelevant. Moreover, the IDF says UNRWA had not actually even requested to send an aid convoy to north Gaza for some six weeks.
Four Corners “Forever War” episode reflected the endless crusade of its creator, John Lyons
March 15, 2024 | Ahron Shapiro
“The Forever War,” screened March 11, was an ABC “Four Corners” episode that focused on the current Israel-Hamas war which…
“Anti-Zionism” is illegitimate and immoral regardless of whether or not it is antisemitic
March 12, 2024 | Oved Lobel
In the end, all forms of anti-Zionism amount to calling for the violent death and displacement of not only Jews, but Arabs in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon, as well. The Jews are not going to dissolve their state and will use overwhelming and destructive force to defend it, as any people in a similar situation would.
Ramadan and the Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations
March 8, 2024 | Ahron Shapiro
Hamas has all along been signalling that it sees no urgency for a Ramadan truce, and may indeed see Ramadan as signifying intensified war, not a time for arrangements to facilitate peaceful worship.
As the Houthis threaten international shipping, spare a thought for the people of Yemen
March 4, 2024 | Alana Schetzer
The Iranian-backed Houthis are doing much more than attacking international shipping, however; they have been engaged in fighting a brutal, near decade-long war across Yemen that they instigated in 2014, and which has so far cost the lives of more than 377,000 Yemeni people
UNRWA is NOT running out of money. Who says so? UNRWA does!
February 16, 2024 | Allon Lee
Despite many scare quotes from UN officials and hysterical commentators, UNRWA, the main UN agency for Palestinians, is not about to run out of money. Who says so? UNRWA does.
West ignores the Sudan war at its peril
February 14, 2024 | Oved Lobel
Giving the anti-Western axis virtual control of the Red Sea would be a strategic catastrophe and could soon make the already difficult mission of securing international trade against IRGC piracy and missile and drone attacks all but impossible. A Russian naval base in Sudan, which will likely be the result of the current war in Sudan without Western intervention, will allow the IRGC to rearm Hamas and PIJ with impunity. The United States and its allies therefore have a strong interest in finding ways to prevent that outcome.
