Israel

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Binyamin Netanyahu appears to have fallen short in his quest for a majority of 61 in the 120-seat Israeli parliament or Knesset. As I write, his far-right Likud Party is tied 32 to 32 with its center-right rival, Blue and White. Netanyahu campaigned frenetically and acted a little unbalanced during […]

Elections

Israel elections: who women vote for and how it’s shifting

The Conversation

By Einat Gedalya-Lavy | – Israelis are heading to the polls in a unique election. The vote on September 17 is the first time Israelis will vote in two elections in the same year, after the Likud party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, failed to form a new coalition government following the April 2019 […]

Iraq

How Iraq Is Standing Up For Itself, After Israeli Attacks

Mustafa Habib

(Niqash) – Mustafa Habib Often trapped between Iran and the US, Iraq’s foreign policy experts have been playing a wily game to avoid it happening again – especially after suspected Israeli attacks inside the country. 6.09.2019 | Baghdad Politics Unusual: Iraqi leaders came together to formulate a measured response. In Iraq, both politicians, military and […]

Donald Trump

Trump Awaits orders from Saudis; and Why the Houthis could have Done It

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s bizarre infatuation with strongmen and dictators was on full display in his response to Saturday’s drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities. As our foremost Gulf expert, Kristian Ulrichsen, noted, The way you phrase it sounds like you are waiting for the Saudis to tell you what to do. […]

Israel

Debate: Should Palestinian Citizens of Israel Boycott Tuesday’s Elections?

Al-Shabaka

By Nijmeh Ali and Yara Hawari | – (Al-Shabaka) – Palestinian citizens of Israel earlier this year organized a campaign to boycott the April Knesset elections. Under the banner of the “Popular Campaign for the Boycott of the Zionist Elections,” the campaign called on Palestinians to refuse participation in the Israeli general elections so as […]

Espionage

Israel caught by FBI electronically Spying on Trump, White House

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Daniel Lipmann at Politico dropped the bombshell that mysterious electronic spying devices placed throughout Washington, D.C. and close to the White House and the Capitol were traced by the FBI to Israel. The Israelis deployed StingRay mobile identity-catchers, devices that are mistaken for cell towers by cell phones, allowing them […]

Iran

Iraq: The Middle East’s new battle front between Israel and Iran

Middle East Monitor

By Stasa Salacanin | – In the last two months, several unexplained explosions occurred in Iraq, significantly damaging ammunition warehouses and weapons storage sites. All targets have been associated with Iranian-backed Population Mobilisation Forces (PMF), suggesting that explosions could not be a mere coincidence as they were probably caused by precision air strikes. Though no […]

Hizbullah

The Most Dangerous Border: What Israeli Strikes in Lebanon mean for Iran & Saudi Arabia

The Conversation

By Abdulaziz Alghashian | – Recent clashes between Israel and Hezbollah on the Lebanese border have caused much speculation of a looming military confrontation between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran, which backs the militant group. The exchange of fire in early September followed the crashing of two reportedly Israeli drones in Beirut in late August. A […]

China

Israeli PM Netanyahu’s Himalayan Miscalculation on Iran: Bringing China into the Mideast

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is one of the world players who pushed Trump to breach the 2015 treaty with Iran. Trump then slapped the severest economic sanctions on Iran ever imposed on any country in the absence of war. Trump went around the world menacing other countries into […]