Moshe Dann

How Must the West Guide the New Middle East?

Two enormous appetites have suddenly arrived at the Middle East’s table: democracy and consumerism. Ravished from years of famine and abuse, the people revolted and opened the doors to the well-stocked pantry and kitchen. Yet despite having overthrown tyrants, they are not now unruled. Two strict overseers are watching: Islamists and the military. Crowded with tribes, Sunnis and Shiites, and colonialist operators who function like combinations of parasites and predators, the well-laden table is still a game of who gets full plates and who survives. Revolutions taking place in countries that have been ruled by dictators and exploited by foreigners are breathtaking in the possibilities that they offer. But they can, like so many others before, become hideous monsters of abuse and destruction.

Netanyahu must end ambiguity over Israel’s policy regarding Judea and Samaria

Thanks to uprisings throughout the Arab world, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has avoided one of the most difficult domestic – and international – issues on the table: the fate of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, "the settlements," "the occupation," and the “two-state" delusion. Having recognized the "right of the Palestinian people" to a second, or perhaps third Arab Palestinian state, after Jordan and Gaza, and agreeing to a year-long moratorium on Jewish building beyond the Armistice lines of 1949 – a freeze which remains in place despite its expired time-limit and accomplished nothing except a fiercer Palestinian resistance to enter peace negotiations, PM Netanyahu's leadership is being tested.

Why Israel loses PR war

This schizophrenic position has led to paralysis of thinking, self-destructive unilateral withdrawals and concessions that allowed the continuation of terrorism, the emergence of a quasi- Palestinian state, and Israel's increasing isolation and de-legitimization.

Jew-hatred’s other face

Anti-Semites around the world have found a new and more subtle form of attack: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaigns. The Ramallah-based Palestinian BDS National Committee, an umbrella organization for dozens of Palestinian organizations supported by the Palestinian Authority, is a global movement. Behind anti-Israel actions by churches, unions and student groups, it is aided by the Muslim Brotherhood, with branches in 70 countries, and hundreds of campus and civic/social organizations and anti-Israel NGOs.

The ‘Peace Machine’ Failed

Theoretically, had the peace machine worked correctly, and everyone played their roles and lightening struck the clock tower at the right time, past mistakes would be corrected and the world would be transported into an era of harmony.

Clinton a danger to Israel

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's address to the Saban Forum should leave little doubt that she is a danger to the State of Israel and, thereby, to the Jewish people. For those who care about Israel, her words, because she expresses the position of President Obama's administration, are alarming.

War of Words: Israel’s Fight Against Delegitimization

Israel’s struggle to defend herself and survive is not only on the battlefield; it is also in the coliseum of public perception. Thrown into the same dungeon as South Africa 30 years ago, threatened with extinction by Arab countries and terrorist groups, Israel is portrayed as a racist, “apartheid” country, illegitimate, a threat to civilization and world peace. Failure to take this incitement seriously and criticism of Israel’s actions in self-defense are applauded by the crowd, thumbs-downed by international community.

Recognizing Palestine; the half-full glass

The Palestinian end-run around Israel and the US to gain recognition as an independent, sovereign state was predictable. They realized that whatever Israel and the US put on the table was, for them, insufficient. That explains why they refused to renew negotiations more than a year ago, after Israel agreed to freeze Jewish building in Judea, Samaria and even Jerusalem.

American President Obama aims to de-legitimatize Israel, until it gives in

Why would President Obama place American prestige, money and influence on the line for a three-month restriction on Jewish building in areas conquered by Israel in 1967? Another round of negotiations is doomed to fail, since Palestinian leaders have already refused to resume talks unless the freeze applies to eastern Jerusalem. Why is Obama pushing this snowball, knowing that any substantive agreement is unlikely in such a short time, if at all?

Who comes from Bethlehem?

For those who grew up outside of Israel the answer brings back familiar Christmas carols, shopping day count-downs, Santas and reindeer. On Christmas Eve, thousands of Christians flock to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to celebrate. Built in the early Byzantine period (the fourth century CE) by Queen Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine ("The Great"), this church commemorates the birth of Jesus. Jewish history, however, offers another perspective.

Yitschak Rabin’s Legacy

A school principal was fired in the early years after Rabin's tragic murder for publicly disengaging from the PM's legacy though mourning his death. Here's a hard look at the subject.

Israeli Sovereignty Now!

PM Netanyahu's demand that Palestinian leaders recognize Israel as a Jewish state is not a semantic tease; Israel's Jewish character is its raison d'etre and the essence of its sovereignty. That includes Judea and Samaria.

Let Jews build homes

Conventional wisdom says that “Israel promised (the US) to destroy all ‘unauthorized outposts,’ and, therefore, must fulfill its obligations.” If the government is looking for an excuse, this is a poor one.

Is Israel’s Left in denial?

During a debate on Tuesday between former Meretz MK Yossi Beilin, left-wing architect of the Oslo Accords and right-wing National Union MK Aryeh Eldad, the latter challenged the former's elaborate scheme of moving towards the establishment of a second Arab Palestinian state, and his fundamental premise.

Why Gush Katif still matters

The expulsion of 10,000 Jews from their homes five years ago was not a localized event in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria. It was a national implosion, a national disgrace. It caused enormous physical, psychological, social, cultural, military and strategic damage to the entire nation – and it still does. Like an ecological disaster, its foulness still seeps through our foundations, and continues to poison us.

Our government forgot that attacks call for military response, not diplomacy

How many Israelis will have to die before the Israeli government will act? Two attacks against Israeli cities – Eilat and Ashkelon -- and one on an IDF patrol along the Lebanese border within two days indicate what Israel is up against. Large civilian populations are at risk and the Israeli government and IDF seem unprepared, again.

Why Gush Katif still matters

The disengagement of 2005 was not a localized event only in Gaza and northern Samaria, nor was it limited to 10,000 Jews expelled from their homes. It was a national implosion. It caused enormous physical, psychological, social, cultural, military and strategic damage to the entire nation – and it still does. Like an ecological disaster, its foulness still seeps through our foundations, and continues to poison us.

Europe’s Jewish problem

Antipathy for Israel among Europeans is increasing and alarming as campaigns of de-legitimization and vilification spread across the world, fueled by Muslim propaganda and money, whetted by the hunger for oil. Even once friendly European countries, those that helped establish the State of Israel and tried to assist Jews during the Holocaust, have become more hostile towards Israel. Europe's brief love affair with Israel seems over. Why?

Why peace won’t happen

Efforts to impose a Palestinian state (the "two-state" proposal) are doomed to fail for one simple reason: Palestinians Arabs do not want such a state; they don't constitute a nation, or a people. Their nationalism is not based on a unique linguistic, historical, cultural, or religious identity; its primary goal is to wipe out the State of Israel and its Jewish inhabitants.

Charity, Obama, Begins at Home

President Obama has asked Congress for another $50 billion loan. Meanwhile, he has announced that he intends to give $400 million more to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip without conditions, or oversight.