U.S. President Barack Obama's first meeting on Thursday with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas was less remarkable for the actual talks between the two leaders than it was for the changed Washington political climate in which it took place. The...
Is Dennis Ross Poisoning the Well?
Will Netanyahu Give Up Settlements to Gain Support Against Iran?
JERUSALEM - The tremors of Monday's North Korean nuclear test have been felt all around the world, no more so in a country seemingly not directly affected by whether or not North Korea is a full-fledged nuclear power. In Israel, there is deep concern, an existential...
Who Will Stand Up to America and Israel?
Drive for Sanctions Likely in Wake of North Korean Test
Sunday's underground nuclear test by North Korea drew strong condemnation Monday from U.S. President Barack Obama, who suggested that Washington will seek strong international sanctions by the UN Security Council and possibly impose tough unilateral measures of its...
Hold the Torturers Accountable
Showdown Looming Over Israeli Settlements
JERUSALEM - A showdown over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is looming between Israel and the United States barely a week after the encounter at the White House between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What's...
Obama’s Democratic Authoritarianism
He's not closing Guantanamo, he's continuing the "preventive detention" policy of the Bush administration under a new rubric ("prolonged detention"), he's on board with military commissions ("reformed," of course) and the denial of habeas...
Dueling Speeches, but Not Much Difference
Iran Hawks Push Obama on Deadline for Diplomacy
After an uneventful first meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that seemed to produce no real breakthroughs, hawks in the U.S. and Israel are seizing upon what they claim is a significant concession by Obama: his...


