Israeli FM’s historic Philippines visit highlights Israel’s Asian ambitions
June 14, 2023 | Alana Schetzer
The diplomatic tour of the Philippines and South Korea was part of Israel’s wider focus on Asia. Back in 2017, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced his Government’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy, intended to eventually diversify Israeli trade away from its current concentration on America and Europe.
Latest IAEA reports demonstrate why a new deal with Iran is pointless
June 9, 2023 | Ran Porat
The June 2023 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports on Iran (analysed by the US-based Institute for Science and International…
AIJAC applauds Federal Government’s new Nazi symbols bill
June 7, 2023 | AIJAC
Colin Rubenstein concluded, “We are grateful to the Federal Government in general and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus in particular for their efforts to develop and advance this bill so quickly. We also thank the Opposition for their efforts to help promote a Federal bill to ban Nazi symbols. We hope and expect that the current proposed bill can receive bipartisan support, and become law as soon as practicable.”
The UN Must Not Repeat Its ‘Nakba Day’ Farce
May 31, 2023 | Colin Rubenstein
Abbas has called upon the UN General Assembly to make Nakba Day another permanent day to “commemorate the Palestinian plight.” For the UN, whose credibility is at an all-time low, Abbas’ vile speech hopefully caused enough embarrassment that the Nakba Day hate-fest won’t be repeated.
Sporting Boycotts require strong action by roof bodies
May 31, 2023 | Justin Amler
Sport should serve to unify people, but the discrimination against Israeli athletes is completely contrary to both the spirit of sport, and almost universally, the rules of competition. Tragically the fans of the game and the players themselves are the ones who will always suffer the most, denied by the radicalism of officials and athletes determined to live in the prejudices of the past. The solution appears simple: strictly and consistently enforce the existing rules against such political boycotts across all sporting codes.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the shell game in Gaza
May 12, 2023 | Oved Lobel
In Gaza, PIJ performs the same function for Hamas that Hamas now performs for Hezbollah in Lebanon and that Hezbollah and its sister proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen perform for the IRGC in Iran.
Yemen’s Future: Partition, Hezbollisation or Talibanisation?
May 5, 2023 | Oved Lobel
It remains possible that the current talks with the Houthis will lead nowhere and the Saudis remain half-heartedly engaged in the conflict. All public information to date, however, suggests imminent Saudi capitulation and disengagement is much more likely. If so, this would, one way or another, inevitably result in Yemen quickly becoming a theocratic clone of Iran as well as a strategically invaluable military base for the IRGC.
No increased Iranian cyberthreat to Israel
May 3, 2023 | Oved Lobel
Iran for the time being remains, as AIJAC assessed in April 2022, more of a cybernuisance and is still incapable of posing a serious threat.
China won’t and can’t help Israel with Iran
April 28, 2023 | Oved Lobel
Cohen may have believed that it can’t hurt to raise Israeli priorities vis-à-vis Iran when speaking with his Chinese counterpart, but he must surely know that Israel absolutely cannot expect or rely on any help from Beijing. It is highly unlikely that the CCP will play any constructive role for Israel. But it can play, and currently is playing, a very destructive one.
Iran’s ongoing strategic success across a mercurial Middle East
April 20, 2023 | Oved Lobel
With the region’s major players veering almost overnight from existential adversaries to close partners and often back to adversaries again just as quickly, the only real thread running through the vicissitudes of the area over recent decades has been the continuing progress of Iran’s seemingly inexorable imperial jihad. No matter how much has changed, only Iran’s imperial expansion has been continuous.
