Category Archives: War

Restraint, the strategy of defeat

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others. – Niccolo Machiavelli It’s been reported that indirect negotiations are underway with Hamas for the release of two Israelis and the bodies of two soldiers … Continue reading →

Posted in War | 7 Comments

The Fires

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

It’s impossible to write about anything except the fires. Foreign media are concerned with other things, but in Israel only the arrest of a former government minister charged with spying for Iran has come close to dislodging the fires from … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Israeli Society, War | 3 Comments

What to do about the kites?

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

As you probably know, Gaza Arabs have been launching kites and helium balloons across the border with fiery payloads, and they have set huge blazes in nearby agricultural fields, nature reserves, and even the campus of Sapir College (just south … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, War | 3 Comments

A predicament or an opportunity?

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

Here it is Wednesday midday, and some 180 mortar shells and rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza in the last 48 hours, including rockets that reached farther north than any since 2014. The IDF responded in the usual … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, War | 5 Comments

Why war between Israel and Iran is unlikely today

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

Si vis pacem, para bellum (if you want peace, prepare for war) – Vegetius, c. 450 CE I’ve said that I am expecting a hot war soon. But recent developments are changing my mind. The strategy of deterrence and interdiction … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, US-Israel Relations, War | 5 Comments

No, it isn’t Kent State on the Mediterranean*

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

I talked to an American friend yesterday. She is well-educated and interested in current events, and she was concerned about what was going on at the border with Gaza. She read me an AP news account that was in her … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Terrorism, War | Comments Off on No, it isn’t Kent State on the Mediterranean*

Will Israel keep the draft?

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

The conflict over drafting Haredim has given birth to a coalition crisis that may yet bring about new elections. A good account of the political twists and turns can be found here, if you really want to know the details. … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics, Israeli Society, War | 1 Comment

Israel’s right of self-defense

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

When I was in elementary school, I was disciplined for hitting another pupil after he hit me. That I remember the details of the incident clearly 60-odd years later is an indication of how strongly I perceived the injustice of … Continue reading →

Posted in The UN, War | 2 Comments