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
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
Prime Minister Netanyahu was only informed about Donald Trump’s ideas about relocating the Palestinians of Gaza on the day before his meeting with the president. It also came as a surprise to US Secretary of State Rubio and most of Netanyahu’s delegation. Even Netanyahu seemed bemused at this turn of events. As the Trump look-alike … Read more
Last month, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saar, ordered the closure of its embassy in Dublin. It followed an Irish proposal to join South Africa in the “genocide” accusation at the International Court of Justice at the Hague. Ireland, together with Spain and Norway, have formally recognised the State of Palestine. This was the … Read more
Several Sundays ago, I returned from lunch with friends to read that three of Britain’s best-known and respected Jewish journalists, Jonathan Freedland (Guardian), Hadley Freeman (Sunday Times) and David Aaronovitch (The Times until 2023) had resigned from contributing to the Jewish Chronicle (JC). Freedland wrote that he needed to break his connection with the JC because “I no … Read more
There has been uproar in the Jewish world about the accusations of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which have been levelled at Israel and its call for the arrests of Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. The ICC was established in 2002 on the basis of the Rome Statute four years earlier. Its role was to … Read more
Many Israelis believe that Benjamin Netanyahu has blood on his hands. Since the release of 105 hostages through negotiations last November, the Israeli government has chosen the priority of destroying Hamas rather than securing the release of the remaining hostages. The families of the hostages have been calling for negotiations for almost a year – … Read more