Benjamin Netanyahu Ehud Barak Isaac Herzog Israel Israeli Labor Party

Is there a shred of hope for a renewed Israeli Labor Party? Sure…

Today, two days after I posted a lament about the rightward tilt of Israel’s Labor Party, Ehud Barak announced that he was quitting Labor and forming a new party, “Atzmaut,” that would be “centrist, Zionist and democratic.” He took four Knesset members with him. Good riddance. While this blog obviously doesn’t keep track of the […]

American Jews Ehud Barak Gaza Strip Hamas Israel

More challenges for the Gaza assault’s spin machine

Yesterday, I reported on the frenetic efforts of Israel’s p.r. volunteers to defend what most of the world views as an over-reaction to Hamas’ provocations. Now there are even more troubles ahead, because the would-be spinmeisters are getting different messages about the goals of “Operation Cast Lead.” I bet you a hundred dollars that, right […]

Ehud Barak Hamas Israel Israeli occupation Middle East peace process Palestinians

What would you do if you were Israel’s Defense Minister?

There has been no shortage of commentary about the prospects –or lack therof–for successful negotiations after Annapolis. I have yet to read much that is not predictable. But Yediot Aharonot’s military correspondent, Alex Fishman, wrote an original piece today about the concrete challenges facing Israel’s security establishment. It is, of course, politically incorrect in some […]