Category Archives: 99c Blogging

My, oh my, where would we be without a free press in Israel?

Haaretz’s Aluf Benn today not only outlines how Netanyahu is continuing to build momentum — and public expectation — for war with Iran, but he also offers some insights into just how the Israelis might go about positioning themselves for a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities — by making “a strike against a valuable target for the Iranian regime which leads Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Ahmadinejad to take action against ‘the Zionist regime.’ If Iran attacks Israel first, the element of surprise will be lost, but then Israel’s strike against the nuclear installations will be considered self-defense.” In other words, if you suddenly read that Israel has assassinated Hizballah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, you’ll know the wider game plan…

Continue reading →

Satmar Hasidim, burying their rebbe: If they don’t recognize Israel as a “Jewish State”, why should the Palestinians?

In his own version of the evasion game that has become tradition for Israeli leaders when pressed by the U.S. and others to conclude a two-state peace agreement, Bibi Netanyahu has insisted that before he’ll talk to Mahmoud Abbas, the PLO Chairman would first have to recognize Israel as a “Jewish State” and “the national home of the Jewish people”.

Excuse me?

Continue reading →