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Peace Summit 2010: "This will not be easy"

At approximately 10:25 am today, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially opened the first direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in two years. In a ceremony at the State Department, Clinton reiterated that the Obama administration is committed to reaching a settlement within one year. The commencement followed a gathering at the White House last night, where U.S. President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas all expressed their determination to reach a peace agreement.

For the Palestinian and Israeli leaders, re-starting peace talks presents a huge risk: President Bill Clinton's failed attempt in 2000 led to the second Palestinian intifada, and President George W. Bush's Annapolis peace attempt dissolved amid continued rocket fire from Gaza into Israel and, subsequently, Operation Cast Lead.

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By Samara Greenberg  |  September 2, 2010 at 1:43 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

New School Year, Same-Old Anti-Israel Sentiment

Millions of American students are back in the classroom this week, mostly looking forward to making the grade and getting one step closer to graduating. Foreign policy issues are largely off their charts - not so different than the American public at large.

The Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts are among those issues that most American students are neither interested nor knowledgeable in. And while generalities are always dangerous to make, I say with certainty that this overall indifference toward the Middle East also afflicts the vast majority of Jewish students. I make these general statements not after reviewing some scientific survey, but rather on my nearly three decades of personal experience in  fighting the battle for Israel on college campuses. And what a battle it is.

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By Dr. Josef Olmert  |  September 1, 2010 at 3:49 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Oh Lord! The Iranian Regime Takes Control of the Internet

In yet another attempt to control its population, Iran is developing a national search engine called Ya Haq, a Persian expression meaning "Oh Lord." Expected to be fully operational in 2012, Iran's announcement is worrisome as it could be one of the first steps toward creating a national Intranet, as opposed to the international Internet. With an Intranet employed, the online world inside Iran would be a sanitized one completely controlled by the state and piped into homes through a state-run broadband.

According to experts, Iran is increasingly worried that new, secure forms of popular search engines such as Yahoo and Google are providing young Iranians with information the government cannot control. "They see the free flow of information to young people in Iran as probably one of the biggest dangers facing the country," said Iranian-born Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute in Washington. "They look at how the young are technologically savvy, literate, and interested. There is this thirst for information, for debate, and the Khameneis and Ahmadinejads of this world are trying to choke the flow of information."

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By Samara Greenberg  |  August 31, 2010 at 12:29 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Unrest in Bahrain: Internal Defiance or Iranian Provocation?

Bahrain's interior minister vowed to extinguish what he called the "fire of terrorism" last Wednesday as protests by Shiite Muslims in the small Gulf state continued on for a second week. Since authorities rounded up some 160 Shiite opposition activists in a series of arrests that began August 13, Bahrain has faced unrest and daily clashes. While government officials claim the arrested admitted to receiving international money to support groups which "incite violence" and terrorism, analysts argue the crack-down is aimed at intimidating the country's majority Shiite population before the upcoming contentious parliamentary elections, scheduled for October 23.

Other recent incidents of concern have also occurred in Bahrain. According to Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas, Bahraini intelligence agencies this month arrested 250 people suspected of belonging to a terror network operating in the country and coordinating with sleeper cells in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. According to the report, the suspects belong "to a military body of a state in the region" and are connected to other armed terror cells that are prepared to stage attacks if Iran's nuclear facilities are targeted.

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By Samara Greenberg  |  August 30, 2010 at 10:43 am  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Without U.S. Aid, Will Lebanon Turn to Iran?

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced yesterday that Tehran will provide the Lebanese Army with military tools, equipment, and weapons, should Beirut request such services. Calling Lebanon "a friend of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Vahidi said, "If they raise a demand in this regard, we are completely ready to help the Lebanese Army."

Iran's announcement comes one day after Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah urged the Lebanese Cabinet to ask Iran for military equipment, stressing that the terrorist group will help secure a deal by "work[ing] hard through his friendship with Iran." According to the Iranian Fars News Agency, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman then officially asked Iran to help modernize the Lebanese Army with weapons, although no other news source has confirmed that Suleiman made such a statement.

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By Samara Greenberg  |  August 26, 2010 at 12:15 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

On Peace Talks and Fanfare

Henry Kissinger once said that Israel has no foreign policy and that its foreign relations are affected by domestic politics. This is true, up to a point. But it is not only true for Israel.

Last week, the United States under President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton imitated Israel's mode of action. Or, they may have simply done what is inevitably unavoidable in a democracy: presenting a questionable foreign policy achievement in order to score domestic points.

On Friday, Secretary Clinton announced a dramatic breakthrough: the resumption of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). A breakthrough? Well it's good to know that people in Washington still maintain their sense of humor.

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By Josef Olmert  |  August 25, 2010 at 10:20 am  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Ya Salam: Breaking the Language Barrier

A new Israeli government program is making Arabic language classes compulsory in public schools, starting from the fifth grade. Beginning this year as a pilot initiative in more than 200 schools - 42 of them religious - in northern Israel, the scheme will eventually be adopted across the country. Until now, Israeli students had the option of learning Arabic to fulfill their second language requirement in grades seven to ten.

The program, titled 'Ya Salam,' stipulates two weekly hours of Arabic language studies and a range of classes designed to acquaint students with Arabic culture. "The aim is to turn the language into a cultural bridge - a means of communication," Orna Simchon of the Israeli ministry's northern district said. "It is extremely important that every child come to know the language and the culture and thus communicate, hold conversations, and be tolerant in this country."

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By Samara Greenberg  |  August 24, 2010 at 11:38 am  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Iran Unveils its "Ambassador of Death"

One day after initiating the start-up of its first nuclear power plant, Iran unveiled its first domestically built long-range unmanned bomber, the latest in a series of announcements about new military advances. At a ceremony marking Defense Industry Day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the aircraft a "messenger of glory and salvation for humanity" but an "ambassador of death" for Iran's enemies.

The new aircraft known as the Karrar, Farsi for "destroyer," can carry up to four cruise missiles and two 250-pound bombs and has a range of 620 miles. It is the third such unmanned military aircraft to be announced this year by Iran and the second new weapon that Tehran has unveiled in a matter of days. On Friday, Iran test fired a surface-to-surface missile named Qiam, Farsi for "rising," that was reportedly designed and built domestically. "This is just the beginning," Ahmadinejad said.

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By Samara Greenberg  |  August 23, 2010 at 12:56 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Arab States Falling Short on their Pledges to the Palestinians

Arab states have cut financial aid to the Palestinian Authority so far this year, prompting the United Nations to warn of a looming Palestinian cash crisis. According to Palestinian Finance Ministry figures, the PA has received $583.5 million so far in 2010 - only 22 percent of which was donated by Arab countries.

Over the last three years, the most that Arab states have donated in any one year was $525.9 million, contributed in 2008. Since 2007, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been the primary Arab contributors. But this year, both have fallen well short of previous support. By August, Saudi Arabia had paid $30.6 million compared to $241.1 million in 2009. The United Arab Emirates, which contributed $173.9 million in 2009, has yet to pay anything.

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By Samara Greenberg  |  August 20, 2010 at 12:42 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Is it Time to End U.S. Combat Operations in Iraq?

Over seven years after U.S. combat forces entered Iraq, the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division - the last brigade combat team - left the country after it crossed into Kuwait early Thursday morning, local time. While much has been made of their departure, the move does not signify the end the deployment of all U.S. combat forces in Iraq. About 56,000 troops remain in Iraq, 6,000 of which are expected to leave by August 31 in order to meet President Barack Obama's deadline for ending U.S. combat operations in Iraq by September 1.

On that day in September, Operation Iraqi Freedom will officially come to an end and Operation New Dawn will begin, in which the remaining U.S. forces will switch to an advise-and-assist role. They are expected to remain in that role until the end of 2011, when all U.S. troops are to be sent home.

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By Samara Greenberg  |  August 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment