More commentary on the Iranian nuclear negotiations
March 31, 2015
This Update looks at the latest commentary regarding the Iranian nuclear program, under the backdrop of the negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran in Lausanne.
Colonel Kemp’s views on Israel and Gaza echoed other senior military officers
March 27, 2015 | Allon Lee
The recent visit to Australia by retired British Colonel Richard Kemp, who was commander of British forces in Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland and Iraq, generated national headlines when demonstrators tried to stop him from speaking, claiming he “supports genocide” for his assessment of last year’s war in Gaza (though he had not even mentioned either Israel or the Palestinians when the demonstrators attempted to shut down his talk).
Yet many people did not realise that Kemp is hardly alone among respected senior military figures willing to publicly voice their opinion that the Israeli Defence Forces’ tactics and conduct in last year’s war with Hamas were proportionate and reasonable…
Comment on elements of an Iran nuclear deal/ The collapse of Yemen
March 27, 2015
This Update provides important analysis of potential problems, questions and complexities associated with the US-led effort to finalise a nuclear pact with Iran, with a “framework” agreement due by the end of this month. It also includes an important piece on the history and implications of recent developments in Yemen.
Letter: Palestinian intransigence
March 26, 2015 | Colin Rubenstein
Your editorial “Eight-state solution floated” (25/3), noted the Palestinian Authority stated in 2008 it would not accept a mini-state of cantons. However, that comment misrepresented what was being discussed. That year, Israel offered the Palestinians a contiguous state equal in size to the land in the West Bank, with a capital in East Jerusalem and a land bridge to Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas simply walked away…
Netanyahu confirms he never abandoned two-state vision
March 20, 2015 | Ahron Shapiro
Following up on my blog of March 18, explaining how Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had been unfairly accused of dropping support for a two-state resolution, Netanyahu has confirmed in two post-election interviews that a two-state solution remains his longer-term goal, despite current obstacles.
Furthermore, AIJAC has located another pre-election interview where Netanyahu explained his current views on implementation of a two-state resolution. This further demonstrates that Netanyahu’s current denials do not constitute “backtracks” (as the New York Times has described them), but rather an attempt to correct the misrepresentation of his views in recent media reports.
More Post-Election Analysis from Israel
March 20, 2015
Here is some more good analysis of the Israeli election on Tuesday and the unexpectedly strong win by incumbent PM Binyamin Netanyahu and his Likud party. A good discussion of the possible coalition configurations suggested by this outcome comes from Ben Sales of the JTA. This Update features further analysis of the various aspects of this result.
More on the under-reported realities of Gaza’s stalled reconstruction
March 19, 2015 | Glen Falkenstein
European Union (EU) envoys met in early March with officials in both the Israeli foreign ministry and Palestinian Authority (PA) to advance Gaza reconstruction. The envoys reportedly indicated to the Israelis that positive moves had been made on their part to rebuild Gaza, and they also criticised the PA for its lack of progress and co-operation.
Letter: Israel Furphies
March 19, 2015 | Jamie Hyams
Tony Walker (“Israel poll threatens Labor peace” 14-15 March) perpetuates a myth about the Israeli/Palestinian dispute – that the Netanyahu government is “committed to an expansion of Jewish settlements.” In fact, settlements have not expanded beyond their geographic boundaries since 2004, and housing starts in settlements were 19% less in the five years of the Netanyahu government than in the five previous years…
Audio: Dr. Colin Rubenstein discusses the Israeli election result on Sydney radio 2GB
March 19, 2015
Dr. Colin Rubenstein discussed the Israeli election result with Steve Price and Andrew Bolt on Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday March 18, 2015…
If anything, a weakening of the far-right in Israel
March 18, 2015 | Ahron Shapiro
SBS called it a “shift to the hard right“, but they’re dead wrong.
With over 99 percent of the vote counted, it is apparent that the shift that actually occurred in yesterday’s Israeli election was in the opposite direction – a move of many far-right voters towards the centre, along with an impressive climb in support for the now-united Arab parties and a decrease in support for the ultra-Orthodox parties as a result of the split in Shas. In fact, overall, the final tally bears a remarkable resemblance to the 2013 election, with the exception of these significant developments.
