Author Archives: Victor Rosenthal

What’s the Plan?

If you live in Israel, you know what happened in Beer Sheva on Tuesday. You know that a terrorist who was an Israeli citizen from one of the larger Bedouin towns that sprawl over Israel’s Negev desert, a former teacher … Continue reading

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Israeli Arabs, Terrorism | 3 Comments

The Ambassador from Obamastan

It was profoundly depressing to listen to the new American ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides, speak on a webinar produced by Americans for Peace Now. Both the tone and the substance of his remarks were discouraging. The tone expressed the … Continue reading

Posted in 'Peace' Process, Israel and Palestinian Arabs, US-Israel Relations | 4 Comments

The Czechoslovakian Option

The negotiations between Iran and the West are free to continue after the hiccup caused by a Russian demand for a “right to free and full trade, economic and investment cooperation and military-technical cooperation.” Either the Russians got what they … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, US-Israel Relations, War | 2 Comments

Iran is No Less Dangerous than Russia

Last week, Russia threw a monkey wrench into the Iran nuclear talks by insisting that any deal removing sanctions from Iran must also remove any sanctions impacting Russian trade with Iran. The talks had supposedly been on the verge of … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, Iran, War | 2 Comments

Who’s Intolerant?

The refugee crisis in Ukraine has illuminated a deep moral divide among Israelis, which I think reflects a similar division in the moral consciousness of humans everywhere. On one side we have Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, who announced yesterday that … Continue reading

Posted in The Jewish people, Zionism | 2 Comments

The 800-Pound Gorilla of the Non-Orthodox World

The Jewish Press reports: Hundreds of members of the Reform and Conservative movements from Israel and the United States arrived on Friday morning at the Kotel plaza for the Rosh Chodesh Adar B prayer. They were met with enormous resistance … Continue reading

Posted in Israeli Society | 2 Comments

Obama’s Third Term

While our attention here in Israel is on Ukraine, the US and Iran are preparing to come to some kind of nuclear agreement. Or not. I’ve been wrong about a number of things lately – I never thought Putin would … Continue reading

Posted in American politics, Iran, US-Israel Relations | 4 Comments

Will Putin Shoot the Hostages? (Updated 1 March)

For the last few days it’s been impossible for me to think about anything other than the war in Ukraine: Full-scale warfare in Europe. Europe! I know I’m showing my “white” bias, because after all, millions have died in vicious … Continue reading

Posted in War | 2 Comments