J Street Urges Obama to Seize the Moment

J Street, the Washington-based “Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace” advocacy group, drew a large crowd to its annual conference this year despite criticism over its controversial calls for the Barack Obama administration not to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. In the end, the administration vetoed the resolution, but the … Continue reading “J Street Urges Obama to Seize the Moment”

Why Washington Clings to a Failed Middle East Strategy

The death throes of the Mubarak regime in Egypt signal a new level of crisis for a U.S. Middle East strategy that has shown itself over and over again in recent years to be based on nothing more than the illusion of power. The incipient loss of the U.S. client regime in Egypt is an … Continue reading “Why Washington Clings to a Failed Middle East Strategy”

US Scrambles to Save Peace Talks

With a key Arab League meeting delayed until Friday, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is scrambling to keep one-month-old direct Israeli- Palestinian peace talks alive. The stakes are high. If the talks fall apart, a number of observers believe a third intifada could break out on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem … Continue reading “US Scrambles to Save Peace Talks”

Free Pollard Now, Pay Later

The proposal to free spy Jonathan Pollard in exchange for Israel extending a temporary freeze on settlement building has now received support from four Democrats in Congress. Although many claim Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initiated this latest bid to free Pollard, it may not be that simple. Since the 1990s the Conference of Presidents of … Continue reading “Free Pollard Now, Pay Later”

Could Ground-Zero Mosque’s Backers Be Worse Than AIPAC’s?

Former American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) staffer M.J. Rosenberg told the Israel lobby to “pull the plug” on activities fanning the “anti-Muslim explosion that has seized this country over the past month.” The former insider charges organizations such as AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and assorted neocon outfits with having “set … Continue reading “Could Ground-Zero Mosque’s Backers Be Worse Than AIPAC’s?”