A couple of weeks ago, the British far Right anti-immigration activist, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon aka Tommy Robinson, spoke at a large Tel Aviv social gathering, one ostensibly dedicated to hearing all points of view. He had been invited to Israel by the Minister for the Diaspora, Amiḥai Chikli, who has had several public rows with the … Read more
Thirty years ago, Yitzhak Rabin, the then prime minister of Israel, was assassinated as he left a peace rally in Tel Aviv. He had been cut down essentially because he had signed a Declaration of Principles – the Oslo Accord – with Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in September 1993. The killing … Read more
Last Friday, Hamas agreed to negotiate an end to hostilities in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages on the basis of the Trump peace framework. Hamas has not said that it will disarm or that its leaders will go into exile and there are clear divisions of opinion within the organisation. The Israelis have … Read more
In a few weeks, on Rosh Hashanah, Jews worldwide will pray for the good of humanity in the Jewish year to come, 5786. An end to war and to hunger, an end to injustice and to persecution – a year of peace and a personal resolve to do better. Jews will also pray for their … Read more
During the last couple of weeks, the United Kingdom, Canada and France have declared their intention – albeit with caveats – to recognise the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in September. It is also likely that Australia and New Zealand will join them in the near future. Netanyahu’s … Read more
Fifteen years ago, Don Heathfield and his wife, Ann Foley, took their two sons out to an Indian restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to celebrate their son Tim’s 20th birthday. They returned home and continued the celebrations – only to be disturbed by loud knocking at the door. The visitors, dressed in black, snapped handcuffs on … Read more
Many Israelis believe that Britain is a den of antisemitic iniquity. Many American Jews believe the UK is on the road to a repeat of the violence of 1930s Germany. Many evangelicals believe that Britain’s 300,000 Jews are about to be overwhelmed by the millions-strong Muslim community who have embraced Jihadism. But while there has … Read more
Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities has been long in the making. The implacable and belligerent opposition by Islamists to a state of the Jews on fundamentalist grounds has made this attack an inevitability. Trump’s chaotic foreign policy and the shunning of the rule of law gave Netanyahu the space to fulfil his long-cherished dream. … Read more
One hundred years ago, the Revisionist Movement was established at the Café du Panthéon in the heart of the Latin Quarter in Paris by acculturated Russian Jews. Its leader was Vladimir Jabotinsky – an intellectual, a man of letters and a spellbinding orator, a figure often quoted by Benjamin Netanyahu. The link is not coincidental. … Read more
Before the current crisis of the war in Gaza erupted, there had been four major clashes with Hamas, beginning with Operation Cast Lead in 2008 to Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021. While the media report the human face of the tragedies of war, the book The Hamas Intelligence War against Israel (Cambridge University Press, 2025) by Netanel … Read more